The Little Red Hen | Nana JoJo Bedtime Story

Drift into peaceful sleep with this charming retelling of The Little Red Hen, narrated with the tender warmth of a real grandmother's voice — inviting children to close their eyes, rest their busy minds, and let their imaginations wander into a sunny farmyard full of life and gentle lessons.

Follow the hardworking Little Red Hen as she plants, tends, and bakes all on her own — while her friends the cat, the dog, and the duck would rather nap and play — until the smell of fresh bread teaches everyone a thing or two about helping out.

Adapted especially for sensitive young hearts (ages 3–7), this soothing retelling weaves themes of responsibility, teamwork, and the quiet satisfaction of a job well done into a warm and cozy bedtime story.

A timeless reminder that when we each do our part, the reward is sweeter for everyone.

Transcript

Hello, My little one. I'm so glad you're here. I have another special story for you today, A story that's been loved by children for many, Many years. It's a story I read when I was a little girl. It's called The Little Red Hen, And it's a story about working hard, Helping others, And about what happens when we all work together. So come get cozy and snuggle up close. Let's begin. Once upon a time, On a cozy little farm, There lived a little red hen. The little red hen had bright red feathers and a happy, Cheerful voice. There were three friends who also lived on the farm with the little red hen and her family. First, There was a lazy cat who loved to nap in the sunshine. And then there was a sleepy dog who loved to take naps under the porch. And there was a duck who loved to splash and play in the pond all day long. The little red hen loved to stay busy, And she worked hard every day to take care of the farm and her family. Every morning, The little red hen woke up early, And she set off to find food for herself and her chicks. What about her three friends? Well, They mostly just napped and played every day, All day long. One sunny morning, The little red hen was scratching in the dirt near the barn when she found something special. She found a few seeds of wheat. Oh my, She said, Looking at the wheat in her hand. If I plant these seeds, They'll grow into wheat. And if I have wheat, I can make bread, Delicious, Fresh, Warm bread. The little red hen's stomach rumbled just thinking about it. The little red hen knew that making bread was a lot of work though. First, She'd have to plant the wheat. Then she'd have to water it and care for it as it grew. Then when it was ready, She'd have to cut it down. Then she'd have to mash it to get the grain. Then she'd have to take the grain to the mill to be ground into flour. And finally, She'd have to bake the bread. That was a lot of work for one little hen. I know, I'll ask my friends to help, She decided. The little red hen found the cat napping in a warm patch of sunshine. Hello, Cat, She said cheerfully. I found some wheat seeds, And I'm going to plant them so we can make bread. Will you help me plant the wheat? The cat opened one sleepy eye. Plant what? He yawned. Oh no, Not me. I'm much too tired. I need my nap. And he closed his eyes and he went back to sleep. The little red hen sighed. And she went to find the dog. The dog was dozing under the porch, Snoring softly. Hello, Dog, She said. I found some wheat seeds, And I'm going to plant them so we can make bread. Will you help me plant the wheat? The dog lifted his head and blinked sleepily. Plant wheat? He yawned. Oh no, Not me. I'm much too sleepy. Maybe later. And he closed his eyes and he put his head back down. The little red hen sighed again. And went to find the duck. The duck was splashing in the pond, Playing and quacking happily. Hello, Duck, She called. I found some wheat seeds, And I'm going to plant them so we can make bread. Will you help me plant the wheat? The duck shook the water from her feathers. Plant what? He yawned. She quacked. Oh no, Not me. I'm having too much fun. Ask somebody else. And she dove back into the water with a splash. The little red hen shook her head. Very well, Then I'll do it myself, She said quietly. And that's exactly what she did. The little red hen dug little holes in the ground, Dropped the wheat seeds in one by one, And gently covered them with soil. It was hard work, But she didn't give up. Days passed by, And tiny green shoots began to poke up through the dirt. The little red hen checked on them every day. She knew the wheat needed water to grow strong and tall. So the little red hen went to find her friends again. Hello, Cat. Hello, Dog. Hello, Duck, She called. The wheat is growing and it needs water. Will you help me water the wheat? The cat yawned from his sunny spot. Water the wheat? Oh no, Not me. I'm too comfortable. The dog yawned from under the porch. Water the wheat? Oh no, Not me. I'm too tired. The duck quacked from the pond. Water the wheat? Oh no, Not me. I'm too busy playing. The little red hen sighed. Very well, She said, Then I'll do it myself. And she did. Every single day, The little red hen carried water from the well and she poured it carefully over the growing wheat. It was hard work, But she didn't give up. Weeks passed and the wheat grew tall and golden in the sunshine. Finally, One day the little red hen looked at the wheat and she smiled. It's ready, She said. It's time to cut the wheat. She went to find her friends. Hello, Cat. Hello, Dog. Hello, Duck, She called. The wheat is ready to be cut. Will you help me cut the wheat? The cat stretched lazily. Cut the wheat? Oh no, Not me. That sounds like too much work. The dog yawned. Cut the wheat? Oh no, Not me. I'm much too sleepy. And the dog quacked. Cut the wheat? Oh no, Not me. I'd rather keep playing. The little red hen nodded slowly. Very well, She said, Then I'll do it myself. And she did. She carefully cut down every stalk of wheat and she gathered the wheat into bundles. It was hard work, But she didn't give up. Next, The wheat needed to be threshed. That means the grains needed to be separated from the stalks. The little red hen went to find her friends once more. Hello, Cat. Hello, Dog. Hello, Duck, She called. The wheat needs to be threshed. Will you help me thresh the wheat? The cat didn't even open his eyes. Thresh the wheat? Oh no, Not me. The dog shook his head. Thresh the wheat? Oh no, Not me. And the duck splashed in the water. Thresh the wheat? Oh no, Not me. The little red hen sighed deeply. Very well, She said, Then I'll do it myself. And she did. The little red hen worked all afternoon separating the grains from the stalks. It was hard work, But she didn't give up. Now the little red hen had a bag full of wheat grains, But to make bread, She needed flour. So she needed to take the wheat to the mill to be ground into flour. Hello, Cat. Hello, Dog. Hello, Duck, She called. I need to take this wheat to the mill to be ground into flour. Will you help me take it to the mill? The cat yawned. Take it to the mill? Oh no, Not me. That's too far to walk. The dog also yawned. Take it to the mill? Oh no, Not me. I'm too tired. The duck quacked. Take it to the mill? Oh no, Not me. I don't wanna leave the pond. The little red hen nodded. Very well, She said quietly. Then I'll do it myself. And she did. She carried the heavy bag of wheat all the way to the mill. Then she waited while it was ground into flour. And then she carried the bag of flour all the way back home. It was hard work, But she didn't give up. Finally, The little red hen had everything she needed to make bread. She had flour, She had water, And she had a warm oven. But baking bread takes time and work. Hello, Cat. Hello, Dog. Hello, Duck, She called one last time. I'm going to bake this flour into bread. Will you help me bake the bread? The cat yawned. Bake the bread? Oh no, Not me. Baking is too much work. The dog yawned too. Bake the bread? Oh no, Not me. I'm too sleepy. And the duck quacked. Bake the bread? Oh no, Not me. I'd rather play. The little red hen took a deep breath. Very well, She said. Then I'll do it myself. And she did. She mixed the flour with water and a pinch of salt. And she mixed the dough with her little wings. And she shaped it into a beautiful loaf. Then she placed it carefully in the warm oven to bake. Soon, The most wonderful smell filled the farm. The smell of fresh, Warm bread baking in the oven. Mm. Mm. The cat lifted his head and he sniffed. Do I smell bread? The dog lifted his nose and sniffed. Do I smell bread? The duck paddled to the shore and sniffed. Do I smell bread? All three of them got up and hurried to the little red hen's kitchen. Just then, The little red hen took the bread out of the oven. It was perfect. It was golden brown on top and soft and warm inside. The cat, The dog, And the duck gathered around, Their eyes wide and their mouths watering. The bread looks delicious, Said the cat. The bread smells delicious. Smells amazing, Said the dog. The bread looks wonderful, Said the duck. The little red hen looked at her three friends and she asked them a question. Who will help me eat this bread? And all three of them jumped up at once. I will, Said the cat. I will, Said the dog. I will, Said the duck. But the little red hen slowly shook her head. Oh no, She said gently but firmly. When I asked you to help me plant the wheat, What did you say? The cat looked down. I said, Not me. When I asked you to help me water the wheat, What did you say? The little red hen asked. The dog looked down. I said, Not me. When I asked you to help me cut the wheat, Thresh the wheat, Take it to the mill, And bake the bread, What did you all say? The duck looked down. We said, Not me. The little red hen nodded. That's right. You didn't help with any of the work. She looked at them kindly, But very seriously. So now I'm going to eat this bread myself, Me and my chicks, The ones who did help me along the way. And that's exactly what she did. The little red hen and her little chicks, They all sat down together and enjoyed every single bite of the warm, Delicious bread. The cat, The dog, And the duck watched sadly. From that day on, They learned an important lesson. If you want to share in the reward, You must help with the work. And you know what? The next time the little red hen asked for help, Do you know what the cat, The dog, And the duck said? They said, Yes, We'll help. And they did. And when the work was done, They all sat down together and shared the bread because that's what friends do. They help each other and they share. The end. And that, My dear little one, Is the story of the little red hen. The little red hen learned something important and maybe we did too. When there's work to be done, It's important to help. If we want to share in something good, We need to do our part. And when we all work together, Everything is better and a lot more fun. Helping others feels good. And when we help each other, We can do amazing things together. So the next time someone asks for your help, Remember the little red hen. Be the friend who says, Yes, I'll help. Most of all, Remember that Nana Jojo loves you so, So much. And if it's time for you to go to sleep now, I'm wishing you the sweetest of dreams. Good night and sleep tight, My love. I'll see you again soon.